When All Else Fails
by User user
Summary: Courtney is a member of a brutal team sent out to ultimately destroy the Flock. The world may have ended when the apocalypse struck, but the story isn't over. How will Max react when she finds her life on the line? Can Courtney handle the pressure and complete her mission? Rated T to be on the safe side. Accepting characters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's another story! Surprise! The first part of this story, before the line, is told from the third person perspective and tells what's happening somewhere other than where the Flock. After the line is Max's P.O.V. It's self explanatory, so I'll leave you to reading!**

**DISCLAIMER: JAME'S PATERSON OWN MAXIMUM RIDE, NOT ME. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S!**

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**~When all else fails, I'll always have my memory of you.~**

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Chapter One: Prologue

_Third Person's P.O.V._

"The Flock?!" shrieked a copper-haired girl as she stared with burning hatred at the boy in front of her.

"That's what I said, _Courtney_," the boy hissed as he glared back, griping a paper in one hand and balling a fist with the other.

"You're not allowed to call me that!" The girl spat, her dark eyes widening and breaking her concentration.

"Why not? I can call you whatever I wish, you are _mine_, after all," the boy said impassively as he let go of his tense.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip, turning to look at the door of the little hospital room. She knew why she was here. It wasn't for her to mourn over the loss of her sister, _no_, it was to _fill in _for her dead sister's place. The boy, _Mitchell_, was not a boy at all. He was way to mature and murdered on a daily basis, to Courtney he was not classified as an innocent child. He was fourteen, like her, and he had a stunning array of scars coating his skin. Courtney wasn't her name, and she felt ashamed to take the title. She lifted her head, but not to look at Mitchell, not into those pleading, grey eyes. She looked past him, to the ashen sheet that covered a familiar form. She heard his feet shuffle towards the door.

"I'm not her, you know. I'm not Courtney. You liked her, not me," she tried to argue, her voice in hoarse whisper, wanting to get out of the situation.

"I didn't like her," Mitchell interrupted her excuses, "I _loved_ her." With that he had gripped the doorknob and decided that he was going to storm from the room, taking a hard left.

"Mitch..." The girl tried, going to the doorway.

"Be ready by sunrise!" He called over his shoulder.

She sighed heavily and went right, trudging down the halls with an almost rhythmical pattern to her heavy combat boots padding the tiled floor. She had wanted to go to the surface, but not like this. No, this was defiantly _not_ what she had expected.

When The Apocalypse hit she and her twin sister were pushed underground into Itex's bunker. Not many experiments were spared from fate, but her sister was one of their top weapons; she was just glad to tag along. Her sister, the _real_ Courtney, was a member of a group that went out and searched for The Flock. The true Courtney died doing her job. The body under the bed sheet was her dear sister. Her sister had given her a notebook before she breathed in one last gust of sweet air. She was a scout, someone who was sent out to search for the winged children. Now, in this new world, the landscape is barren, and as far as the small surviving portion of Itex knows the only living life forms are themselves and the mutants that sook sanctuary with The Flock before the disaster happened. The real Courtney must have found something, but the girl didn't have the stomach to look through the beloved journal yet, instead she gripped to it until her knuckles turned white. She eventually discarded it to the side and made a mental note to pack the document in her bag. She crammed necessities into a backpack and prepared herself for the morning. She would have to wake up early, but she'd get to see the outside world and that's all that mattered at the moment as she buried herself in a blanket and curled into the small bed. Her room was not luxurious, in any way, but it worked. She would miss the little place, but she would also miss her twin sister. This time the tears that pricked behind her eyelids slid out, and just this once she allowed herself the comfort to cry, even if her new team would define it as weak.

Her team... It wasn't truly hers. She still needed to be accepted by them, but that wouldn't be too difficult, right? Mitchell, the leader, had something going on with the old Courtney, so maybe his affection would pass over to her. She'd always wanted it. Oh how she dreamed and prayed for her sister's life, but she didn't want it like this. The group had never personally seen Courtney, not even the real one. This was their first mission and they didn't expect for their scout to die of an over exposure to radioactive chemicals the first month of their mission. The doctors could do nothing with the now limited technology. It was hopeless. The girl silently wondered if The Flock was even alive. If her team could pinpoint their location they could take down all of the mutants and Itex would reward them greatly. That's what she was shooting for, finding and destroying The Flock, but she didn't know if she could be that brutal. Although, she had been training and she could handle herself and a gun quite well, in her opinion.

"I'm ready," she voiced aloud, telling herself that her old name was now forgotten. She was now Courtney. It sounded strange to say. It didn't fit. Her eyes closed and tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she repeatedly told herself that she could do this and that she was worth something after all. Doubt crept in, like always, and she writhed in her bed as the fear of failure sunk into her dreams. She dreamt of a perfect life, one where she threw Maximum Ride to her knees in front of the head council of Itex and was rewarded with a handshake. What a beautiful dream it was, but could her heart handle destroying a soul, or ending a life? Probably not.

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**—**

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_Max's P.O.V._

Its not over; _not at all. _I'm fine, just to let you know. Fang, Angel, and I made our way down to the bunker. The place was huge. It was practically a city. It wasn't too hard to find Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy. They, along with my mother and Ella, met us with open arms. The hard part was ditching Dylan. We left him...on the surface. He came down a couple of times to get supplies, but he mostly keeps to himself in his little cave created when the meteor hit. We're not to sure why _it_, The Apocalypse, happened, and we would prefer to not find out. We like to think that we're the only living things left, but there's always an unspoken possibility that our enemy survived.

God, I hope not.

The Flock and I settled in with Mom in a two story house in the middle of the bunker. The place was lit by lights on the ceiling. The electricity was generated by a mutant known as Zach. I call him Piccachu, and the sixteen-year-old just laughs it off. The grass is fake, but there is a section of the city where biology engineered crops grow. Luckily, enough food and water was stored for years to come, but we need to start planning now. Somehow, I got recruited for this job. Who puts a teenage girl in charge of the government?! But I guess most of us here are children, so I'll have to do. At least I don't have to do it all alone. There are some older humans here. They run the school and the small shops. I didn't know someone could be so prepared for an apocalypse.

Currently, I'm sitting in the vast yard outside my house holding Fang's hand tightly and observing Gazzy and Iggy build a fort out of boxes. It's not like the wind was going to blow and send the boxes tumbling down on them, so I don't know why I'm watching with such interest. Nudge had a friend over, and they were currently claiming the living room for themselves as they did a class project. Yes, Mom is making us go to school. It straight up sucks, but at least theres only one class per grade division. There's a class full of elementary age kids, another for middle school, and then there's high school. Angel and Gazzy go with the first class, Nudge and Ella with the second, and Fang, Iggy and I are some of the oldest in the little community. They decided to drill us with homework because "An ignorant student leads to an ignorant society!". _Pfft_, as if it really matters anymore.

"Did you get the history homework done?" Fang asked as he looked over at me with his dark eyes.

"No, I don't think the Salem Witch Trials are important..." I gave a light laugh, "not in this day of age."

"Aren't they? They're teaching us of the past so we can better ourselves for the future, Max."

"I liked the dumb Fang better."

"I was never _dumb,_ just...street smart," he said with a slight smirk.

"I guess it could be worse," I sighed.

"How?"

The corners of my lip curled up. "You could be like Iggy and have the great accomplishment of knowing every pick-up line in the book."

"What about me?" Iggy called behind the poorly constructed tower of boxes. His voice was in a sing-song tune.

"Nothing, precious!" I teased.

"Max!" Nudge's friend, Amber wailed out the window. I groaned and stood, brushing imaginary dirt off my jeans.

"It's a guy! AT THE DOOR!" Amber had an almost bigger mouth than Nudge.

"Have you tried answering the door?" I said, rolling my eyes and starting in her direction.

"I did! He says he saw a girl...ON THE SURFACE!"

"Dylan," I whispered, dreading having to talk to him. Fang crept up silently behind me.

"On the surface," he repeated as we rushed inside to see a pale Dylan pacing back and forth with a worried looked plastered on his face.

"A girl, Dylan? Really? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave you up there..." I started to babble. He spun around to look at me with wide eyes.

"Max! There was this girl and I saw her and followed her. She hunted the whole island and mapped it out in this book thing! Then she found the entrance and came in! She came into the city, Max! I confronted her on her way out and she looked nervous. She spread her wings and flew away, Max! How is that possible?! Huh, Max? Where did she come from?!" By now I had discovered that he was hysterical.

"Dylan. You need to go see my Mom," I frowned, trying to remember where the clinic was in this city. You would think I would've figured that out by now, all considering.

"No! You don't understand!-" he looked frustrated.

"Get out," I snarled. "You're scaring people."

"They should be scared; _very _scared! This means that Itex could've survived! You could be in danger!" He insisted. Just then Nudge came down the stairs, toting a large cluster of fabrics that were probably going to be used for her and Amber to play fashionista.

"What did this girl look like?" She asked, her own big, brown eyes wide.

"Copper hair and a set of maroon eyes. She was tall and skinny like-" he described.

"Like she hadn't eaten in a while. Like she had flown for miles in those grey-" she said, almost out of breath.

"Yoga pants," Dylan finished.

"They were leggings, low-rise," Amber corrected.

"You all saw her?" I questioned, starting to rethink the idea that Dylan was going insane.

"Saw her? She practically ran us over! She had her nose down in some sketchbook scribbling away! She made me spill my drink down the front of my shirt!" Amber complained as she gestured to the punch stain.

"What was she drawing?" Oh gosh, Dylan could've been right.

"The sidewalk..." Amber shook her head in disapproval, "the one we were walking down. Who freaking does that?!"

"Oh my gosh," I breathed, my eyes flicking to Fang's. He showed no emotion, big surprise, but he did nod towards the door. I continued to push Dylan out, following behind. Fang told Ella, who was teaching Angel to do laundry, to watch the kids, especially Iggy and Gazzy. We scurried down the roads, the few there were, and made our way to where Mom works. I guess you can call it The City Hall, that's what it says on the sign, but it's really just the hospital morphed with the plumbing and electrical units. There was a small gym, where I played volleyball with school, but it wasn't much. I sprinted through hospital's small front office right past Felicia, the desk worker, to the back room. My Mom sat there, looking over some important nonsense about food storage and resource conservation.

"They're back," I panted as I threw the door open. She looked up.

"Who?" She inquired, giving me a shocked look.

"Itex. The School. Who knows." Dylan had caught up by now. He was running his mouth a mile a minuet. Fang slipped in and grabbed a sheet of paper. He began writing, with me shooting him a funny look. My Mom tried to calm Mr. Perfect as she deciphered his words. Fang shoved the paper at me.

"Announcement," he said cooly, walking out the door. I read the memo. Oh, right. I twisted around, a little too quickly for my sneakers, and started running to keep pace with Fang. We reached the front desk, causing Felicia to glance up over the brim of her glasses. I jerked the microphone from her drawer and Fang flipped a switch on one of the many control panels accessing the city's many inner workings. Felicia opened her mouth in protest, but I was already talking.

"We are now in lockdown. Shut the front gates." My voice blared outside from the speakers mounted every mile or so down the road on a metal beam. My heart was hammering against my ribs. This was not good. We needed to know what was going on. We needed to figure out what the heck was going on right now, or we could fall under attack and be wiped out in seconds, or worse; we could be taken back.

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**A/N: Ok! There it was! Did you like it? Criticism welcome. Please review. **

**And for this story I am in need of a few OC's.**

**Heres the form!**

**Name:**

**Age: (12-14)**

**Gender: **

**Appearance: Eyes-**

**Hair-**

**Wings- (they have to fly to get anywhere)**

**Height-**

**Skin tone-**

**Body build-  
**

**Personality:**

**DNA: 2% bird (maybe something else if you want to add that)**

**Powers: (ONE power please. No elements, mind control, or telekinesis) **

**Other: (anything else you want to throw in...)**

**I'LL UPDATE WHEN I GET SOME OC'S AND REVIEWS! PROBABLY NEXT WEEKEND! :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Fearing Fear

**~When all else fails, I'll always have my fears.~**

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Fearing Fear

_Third Person's P.O.V. _

"Courtney!" A voice blared outside the girl's door. She tied her boots a tad tighter before slinging her bag over her shoulder and opening the door casually.

"What is it, Mitch?" she announced each word carefully, drenching them with venom.

"The sun is about to come up. It's time," he looked her over, his eyes lingering on her face a little too long before he turned and motioned for her to follow. She breathed in a sharp breath and followed submissively.

"Where the heck is Mitchell Almighty?" A boy leaned against the wall, his jaws tiring from his yapping.

"I'd watch it if I were you, Caiden," Mitchell frowned as he arrived at an open room with boring, grey walls. Caiden's brown eyes grew to the size of soccer balls as he tucked in his ivory wings, staring at his leader. His mouth turned dry and he went to staring at the tips of his boots.

"Ooh!" a girl ran to Courtney, "Is this her Mitch?! She's beautiful! Oh my, we're going to be the best of friends! I've heard so much about you! Mitch constantly brags-"

Courtney went from grinning at the girl, to glaring at Mitchell. "I'm sure he does…"

"I'm sensing some tension. My name is Emma, by the way, but you can call me whatever you want." Emma's braid swished back in forth as she bobbed her head with her words. Her eyes were a mix of hazel and blue, and Courtney was to angry to try and figure out what shade they were technically in.

"Ha, like you're going to even make it on this mission," a red-headed girl spat. "You wouldn't kill a fly!"

"Persephone Francesca Oscars is right you know," Caiden nodded, getting a glare from the freckled ginger, "Emma is way to loving to shoot someone dead."

"Correction: Maximum Ride is evil. She needs to be destroyed, and I will be the one shooting the fatal bullet," Emma narrowed her gaze at Caiden. He gave a grunt of mockery. He didn't think she could go through with it.

"It's odd how you all try to make a just reason for this," a new boy stepped forward, one Courtney scolded herself for not noticing. He had a round face and blue eyes. His dirty blond hair needed a trimming.

"Is that a mutiny I hear?" Mitchell's fists curled as he set his jaw and bared his perfectly white teeth at the rebel.

"No," the boy shrugged it off like he didn't care. A little too impassive for Courtney. "I want to live, and, sadly, I put myself higher than others. My priorities first."

Mitchell seemed to be content with this answer, but he whispered quickly to Courtney anyway, saying, "Keep an eye on Ranger. He could be trouble later."

"He's like, eleven," Courtney looked up at Mitchell's twisted face with confusion.

"Twelve," Ranger said coldly.

"Can he hear-?" Courtney started to ask Mitchell.

"Everything, yes," Ranger smirked as he folded his arms over his chest. There was a long, drawn out silence. The team stared awkwardly at each other, Mitchell's grip tightening around Courtney's arm.

"Are we going to go, or what?" Persephone questioned, bored, and she looked up from biting on her nails.

"This way," Mitchell's fingers untangled themselves from Courtney's shirt as he briskly made his way out of the room. Caiden practically rode on his heel as he tried to suck-up for his rude comments earlier. Courtney was left with an open jaw. Persephone stalked past, her lip almost curling at the "scout". Ranger slipped from the room, still wearing a triumphant grin.

"We better go," Emma sighed, "I swear, they aren't always like this." Her hand scooped under Courtney's elbow as she steered her out. They had to practically jog to catch up with the others.

"Mitchell has left the building!" Persephone announced sarcastically, throwing her arms in the air in defeat. Courtney had a few inches on both girls and Ranger, but Caiden and Mitchell towered over her like a skyscraper over a neighboring townhouse. She felt out of place. A feeling in her gut told her to turn back and run to her room, but she ignored it and marched on, her backpack bobbing against her spine with each step. She felt weighed down and slow, but her long strides allowed her to keep pace with the rest of the group. The six of them came to a cement lined corner and Mitch gripped to a steel rung on the wall. He pulled himself up effortlessly, the muscles on his arms rolling like little hills.

"If this scares you, you should turn back now. If I even get a whiff of a coward, well," his eyes locked with Courtney's and stayed for a second before moving to look at Emma, "lets just say you won't want to live to see the consequences."

"Consequences? What could be that frightening on a barren surface?" Emma was behind Courtney, and, much to Courtney's surprise, she realized that Emma hadn't moved from that spot the whole treck down the hallways. Courtney knew the consequences. Retirement. Expiration. She couldn't risk it; she had to stay strong.

"Yeah, what's up there, _scout_?" Caiden looked to Courtney.

"How am I supposed to know?!" Courtney snapped, but she happened to glance over at Mitchell and he gave her a quick shake of the head.

"I mean," she corrected herself, "I try to forget." She had to stay in character. Her sister would've known what was up there.

"Oh," Caiden looked clammy as he watched Mitchell continue climbing the rungs up to some metal lid. Mitchell pushed on the obscurity with such force that it groaned and opened, like a sewage cap in those old movies when the bandit was escaping his seekers. Dust blew in through the now exposed opening and the group clustered, sheltering their eyes.

"Come on!" Mitchell called down. They saw his boots disappear. The team didn't want to follow. They all feared that they would be called cowards if Mitch found that no one followed right away, so Caiden pushed Courtney forward.

"You first, scout," he coughed as he shoved her to the first rung. She gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the dust cutting into her cheeks and rubbing in her eyes.

_Just climb,_ she told herself, _climb now!_ Her hands gripped to the slender protrusion jutted into the cement wall. It wasn't as easy as Mitchell made it look. She felt awkward as she pulled herself up and missed the oncoming rung more than once. Eventually she could see blue. She knew it was the sky, and she tried to resist the urge to spread her wings then and there. She couldn't remember the last time she saw the sky, or a cloud, but she remembered the sun falling to Earth, and that itself sent shivers through her. Mitchell's hand reached down, and for once she was glad to take it. He hauled her up and sat her carefully on the ground.

Courtney realized that it wasn't dust. It was ash. She picked it up in handfuls and ran her fingers through it. There was to much ash. She glanced around and found the building that used to hail over the bunker leveled, along with everything in a ten mile radius of it. The wind blew wildly, and without anything to block it, it pushed mounds of the ash straight towards her. She wanted to scream, but opening her mouth would only result in her getting choked on the retched stuff. Instead, she gripped to Mitchell's shoulder as he pulled Ranger out. The cloud of dust and ash hit the three and threw them to the ground. She was pulled to Mitch's chest as he unfolded his wings to cover the pair. Her hands fisted in his shirt in fear that if she let go that she'd be blown to Timbuktu, one destination that she didn't want a first class ticket to. Her face was pressed into his plaid, long-sleeved shirt for protection. The wind died down a few minuets later and Courtney jerked up, batting away his arms and wings. She gasped for air and cleaned the ash from her eyes, nose, mouth, hair, and ears. Ranger had been blown a couple of yards away. He stood up and dusted off his shorts. He had an exhilarated glow to his face as he gave a wide smile.

"I took Gone With The Wind a little too literally, eh?" He arched an eyebrow at the copper haired girl. She was in to much shock to answer. Mitchell pulled her to her feet and clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"Look alive," he reminded in a deep tone. She blinked and sunk away from his hand, pushing through the ankle-deep debris that settled around them.

"What happened?!" Persephone shot up from the hole. Her fire engine red hair was tossed to the side. She was part orangutan, so climbing the rungs had no affect on her as she lunged up and out, falling to her knees and cringing as her kneecaps sunk into the ash.

"Gosh, it _smells_!" Caiden whined as he tried to pull himself up. Mitchell watched with an evil expression as Caiden did a poorly executed lunge up over the edge. His stomach hit first and he had to kick his legs to squirm the rest of the way up. Courtney laughed as she watched him wallow. Ranger and Mitchell joined in while Persephone kicked some of the dust onto the kid, scooping it up with the toe and letting it fall down on Caiden's back.

A sickening cry filled their ears. Courtney gulped as she dropped to all fours to peer down through the opening at a wailing Emma. Emma had her back pressed against the wall between two rungs and was gazing with pure disgust at something buried in the ash that had managed to blow down into the bunker.

"What is that?!" She cried, pointing at a set of bones heaped together.

"Looks like a skeleton," Mitchell shrugged, "Probably some rabbit or something."

Emma screamed again.

"A bunny?! Oh my gosh..." The girl started to hyperventilate. Courtney didn't need to reminded about the whole "Show No Fear" rule. She saw the delight on Mitch's face and immediately started to try and calm Emma.

"Close your eyes Emma. It's only a rat. Come on, climb," Courtney coaxed. Emma held onto a rung with a shaky hand. Eventually, the girl reached the top. By this time, Persephone had begun to gnaw on her nails again.

"Let's go," Mitchell said it like he was bored. Courtney, however, was scared out of her own skin. She had almost been killed by a cloud of ash! None of the other members even flinched. Did she fit in?

"Now!" Came Mitchell's bark of agitation. Suddenly, Caiden's wing whacked Courtney in the face and Persephone had already taken off. Ranger brushed some of the ash off Emma before they both thrust themselves at the sky. Courtney slowly let loose her own red wings and stroked carefully. Mitchell took the lead first, and they all followed. Courtney was supposed to know the direction that the team should head. She scrambled to whip out the journal and begin reading. Soon enough, she was chatting along with the others.

"I only have one question," Caiden yelped over the wind.

"And what would that be?" Persephone put on a playful grin.

"Who do we kill first?"

And Courtney's smile dropped and her stomach knotted. That put a serious cramp in her day.

As the sun dimmed in the now flat, barren horizon the group found a rocky place to land. They set up camp, which was nothing but the six laying close to each other for warmth. Courtney watched as the ball of fire left the sky.

"I guess it didn't fall to pieces after all," she whispered, causing Emma to shoot her a quizzical look.

"The sun, I mean," Courtney clarified.

"Oh, yeah," Emma cringed as she thought of the memory, "That was…_awful_."

"Are you afraid of it? Is that what I'm hearing?" Mitchell leaned forward and glared at the girl.

_We don't admit fear,_ Courtney reminded herself, _It's weak._

"No, I'm just being descriptive," Emma defended, moving away from the boy.

"What happens if we do fear something?" Caiden piped up. His words made Ranger choke on air.

"What do you fear?" Mitch hissed as he stared at Caiden, challenging him.

Caiden shrugged and replied, saying, "Death, failure, pain…I mean, we are only human." Apparently the kid didn't catch on to Mitchell's warning. Mitchell launched himself to his feet.

"We are _not_ human! We do not fear, think, or react like humans! That is a flaw. To your feet, all of you!" Mitchell was furious, his fists clenched at his sides as his teeth gnashed together. The group paled as they scurried to their feet, forming a straight line on the rocky ground.

Caiden muttered a colorful word under his breath.

"You!" spat Mitchell, "Go stand over there!" He gestured to a mass of fallen trunks that outlined what probably used to be called a forest. Caiden trudged over and stood on a stump, his arms crossed. That was his way of feeling safe, and Mirchell broke it with his next command.

"Put your arms up!"

Caiden's eyes rolled; he was trying to fake boredom. His arms reached above his head, his fingers spread.

"Right between the index and middle," Mitch whispered.

"This is insane," Persephone breathed.

"We have to trust each other. We can't fear," Mitchell said nonchalantly as he pulled a gun out his waistband and raised it. Courtney fumbled with the gun tucked similarly in her own waistband. She watched with mixed feelings. Emma clutched to her arm like the world depended on it.

Mitchell aimed and put his finger lightly on the trigger, closing one eye and taking in a breath. As he released it his finger pulled against the trigger. The bullet left the gun with a pop and the mutants watched with gasps as it flew through the air.

Caiden yelled in the highest pitch available for his changing voice. Courtney screamed too as she watched his form drop to the ground.

"Whoops," Mitch grumbled. The team came in a herd towards Caiden, forming a semi-circle around him.

"What did you do?!" Emma shouted at Mitchell. They stared at Caiden laying in a ball on the floor, crying his eyes out. Mitchell kneeled down and pulled Caiden's arm out from his protective clutch and examined his hand.

"Hmm," Mitch rubbed his chin with his free hand, "it seems I've blown off his fingers."

Emma screeched louder and Courtney's world swirled at seeing a three-fingered Caiden. How did Mitchell stay so calm?

"I suggest you stop crying, twerp," Mitchell dropped Caiden's arm and wiped his hands on his jeans like he had just touched scum, "or you'll dehydrate. Stop the blood loss before you die, you fool. Next time, do not so openly admit your fears. Your two fears you should have is me and fear itself, got that?" With that he was gone, walking back to camp.

"Bandages," Ranger reminded.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…" Emma repeated as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

"He's _mad_! I swear, he's crazy!" Persephone declared as she began to wrap Caiden's hand.

"Courtney!" Mitchell called over Caiden's sobs. She almost didn't respond. It wasn't her name, after all. She figured her name would never be used again, and on their flight here Mitchell made it very clear to her that she should never tell anyone who she truly was. Her hand shot up to her cheek and she felt the rising bruise. She didn't want to be reminded again. She turned from the four squalling winged children and hurried to Mitchell before he could finish calling her name again. She was being controlled by a blood thirsty boy. Maybe the team would help her finish him, or maybe she is just a weak coward and they all feel the way he does: deadly.

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_**—**_

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_Max's P.O.V._

Next thing I knew Felicia was asking a million questions and Dylan and Mom had made their way out to the front. Fang stood behind me, and I was glad because I honestly didn't know if I could stand another minuet of this. My nerves were on high alert, and my heart was pounding. We could be in danger! If I fainted Fang would catch me, right? Maybe then I wouldn't have to listen to Felicia and I wouldn't have to make any more decisions for—what?—two, maybe three hours? No, the great Maximum Ride does not faint like a startled grandma. I set my feet and slapped a hand over Felicia's mouth. I learned a lot from Iggy's constant demonstrations on how to shut up talkative teens, I guess it worked here too. The door was abruptly thrown open and the Flock charged in, panting as they too began to rant.

"Ella!" I scolded, "I thought I told you to watch them?!"

"I did. I watched them leave out the door, run down the street, and barge in here. I'm demanding your dessert for my hard work," she gave me a cocky smirk.

"That's not what I…" I started.

"What's going on?!" Amber demanded.

"Nothing. There was just this girl who was-" I tried again.

"Was what?" Iggy interrupted. What's up with me not being able to finish my sentences today?! "Stripping? You can't arrest someone for stripping!"

"Actually," Dylan corrected, "You can, or _could_, in the old world."

"Well this isn't the _old_ world!" Iggy barked as he started a controversy between the two. I pinched the brim of my nose and sighed heavily.

While this fiasco was exploding, all the kids from school came in droves to the building. Zach pushed to the front and grabbed my wrist.

"What's happening?" He asked. Fang stepped up and put an arm protectively around my waist. I will never understand why he's so jealous, but I guess I remember feeling the same back when Fang used to flirt with Brigid or Lissa.

"Something out of the ordinary," Fang muttered as he pulled me a tad closer. Zach's eyes scanned over the scene, it still didn't click that Fang was going to pound him to a pulp if he didn't step back away from me. His grip was still fixed on my wrist.

"What are we supposed to do?" He questioned.

"Go home," Fang shrugged.

"How-?" Zach wanted to protest.

"_Very carefully,_" Fang said tersely. Zack gently let go of my wrist and stared for a second longer before turning his back to me.

"The big dogs say go home!" He ordered the other children that swarmed. He threw one boy over his shoulder, and just like they came, they were gone. Fang let loose a breath. It tickled my ear and I pried his arm from my waist, no matter how bad I wanted to keep it there.

"It's just Zach," I tried, "he's just…sensitive."

"I just don't like other people…" he stopped to find the right words.

"Touching me?" I raised an eyebrow. He gave a curt nod before fixing his eyes on the wall and swallowing.

"Max!" Dylan's arm's snaked around my middle as he dodge for cover behind me. And…Fang's rule is broken, again.

Iggy had his lips set in a firm line as he fished around for Dylan. Fang was glaring at Dylan. Basically, Dylan needed to get out before one of the three of us broke his jaw. I slipped away from Dylan and made my way over to Mom, who had her hand on her forehead and was concentrating mentally on something. Angel was probing around in my mind, Nudge and Amber were practically screaming, Gazzy simply picked up random pens and took the springs out to probably use on a bomb, and Ella was trying to calm Iggy. Here I stood in the midst of chaos.

_'Get your head straight,' _Angel thought to me. I bit the inside of my cheek and found that I was in fear, for myself and my Flock.

'_Do you happen to know if she's still here?_' I asked, hopeful.

_'Gone,'_ came Angel's response,_ 'without me even realizing she was here.'_

I gulped. _Not good_, repeated in my mind and Angel decided to leave. I was alone, or at least I needed to be. I sneakily crept from the crowd and wandered down the halls to a room with only a long oak desk and papers piled hight about conserving some sort of essential crap, I'm sure. I plopped down in an office chair and reclined, propping my feet up on the desk top.

It was time for me to pull myself together, for the good of everyone. After about three minuets I decide that I was getting nowhere. The perfect timing for Fang to stroll in, almost unheard. He came to the front of the desk and turned his back to me, sitting down on the edge and letting his feet dangle over the edge.

"No 'Hi Max?'" I laughed as I stared at his back. His wings unfolded enough so he could get them out of the slits in his shirt, but he left them practically folded, making me frown and cross my arms as I got up.

"What is it?" I inquired as I walked around to face him. He glanced up at me with his dark eyes and shook his bangs out of his vision.

"It's just..." He mumbled before he cut himself of with an exasperated groan.

"What? Come on, Fang, you know something," I lowered my voice and looked down at him, something I can only do when he's sitting, or lying in his bed waiting for me to bring him his breakfast. He doesn't do that much more, considering last time he got my cooking, not Iggy's.

"If they're still out there," he was speaking in his deep, worried tone. I knew it all to well. It scared me when he used it. If Fang was worried, then I should probably be shaking by now. "Then we have no where to run. We'll have to fight, defend what's ours. We don't usually do that. We only fight when we're cornered."

"So? We've been cornered before, we'll do it again," I tried brushing it off. I didn't know if I was reassuring myself, or him.

"But this time…" his eyes flicked up to lock with mine as he got to his feet, "this time is different; we have no where to run to after we get ourselves out from the wall, Max." He was so close, yet our thinking was so far apart. I did realize he was right, after about thirty awkward seconds of us standing literally two inches apart.

"We'll be fine," I choked out. My throat was tightening as I reached out and grabbed his hand, drawing little circles in his palms. "We always are."

"I hope so." He kissed my forehead and stepped past me. He was leaving.

"Fang!" I whined.

"We need to get the kids home. Calm the city…" he reminded. Darn, life just hates me. I followed reluctantly. When we reached the group Dylan was sitting, leaned back against the wall. Amber was blabbering about something to him, poking his arm every other minuet.

"We're going home," I said as I pushed the door open. I noted how Felicia had gone home too, ditching her heels. I'd run if I were her too, because these kids are wild. Dylan climbed to his feet and looked at me with hopeful eyes.

Mom ushered Nudge, Amber, Gazzy, Ella, Angel, and Iggy outside. Each brushed past me, but I was still contemplating over letting Dylan come home with us.

"There's a couch in the conference room," I said hoarsely as I looked at Fang and followed the Flock. Dylan was a little…unstable ever since the sky crashed down on us. Actually, he did live with us for a week, that is, until he tried to strangle Fang, repeatedly. The scariest thing was that Fang would fight back. Once I thought he had killed Dylan, but it just knocked him out. I have to keep them apart, or war may just break loose. We trudged home and ambled around the living room until everyone retreated to a soft bed and Amber left to go home. She lived wherever she went. In this new city, whoever shows up at the door you welcome in. Recently, she had been staying with Zach, three houses down the street.

"We need an army, or something, Maximum," Mom said as she took another long swig of coffee.

"I'll do it. Me, Fang, Dylan, and the other older kids. We can just keep watch," I suggested.

"Do you seriously think that the three of us can take on a horde of Itex's mutants? They're bloodthirsty and trained for every occasion," Fang, a man of many wise words today.

"There can't be that many of them…" I explained. "Besides, we are only going up there to keep watch."

Mom nodded. "But, you'll have to do it in shifts."

I gave a small, reassuring smile. "I know Mom. We're gonna be needing some caffeine cookies."

She chuckled and caught my hand, tugging me towards the stairs. I tried to forget the possibilities, the fear, as I stomped up the steps to fall idly into my bed. Sleep took me, and I slept blissfully, until I remembered that I had forgotten to do my homework. Oh well, they'll just have to let it slide this once. After all, they wouldn't want an army charging in here and murdering us in our sleep, right? Maybe they'll react like teachers always do: screaming and ranting on and on about how I shouldn't give excuses. The world is a funny place. At least now I know why The School is called that. School is a heck on Earth.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews!**

**thanks for OC's too!**

**Bunnieswillkikckyourbutt: _Emma_**

**GagaBear18: _Persephone_**

**Tobymydog: _Ranger_  
**

**OC's are still being accepted :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Love or Death

**~When all else fails, I'll always have my wits.~**

* * *

Love or Death

_Third Person's P.O.V._

Courtney was woken by Emma rolling over. She sat up and glanced around, rubbing grime from her eyes. Her keen sight allowed her to see the form of a boy sitting on a rock that elevated over the group. Mitchell. Courtney was hesitant, but she decided that checking on him was the best option. She climbed up onto the rock and sat beside him. He looked over at her.

"You should be sleeping," Mitchell reminded.

"I was going to say the same of you," Courtney chuckled.

"Where to next?" He tried changing the subject.

"I think she wants us to keep going…" Courtney began.

"Can…can we go for a walk?" Mitchell asked, his voice rough as heat rose in his cheeks.

Courtney didn't want to, but she went along with it. If she didn't he might hit her, or worse. She stood and followed him in silence far from the group. He sat down and she made herself comfortable by keeping her distance from him when she flopped down on her rear. He turned on a miniature flashlight and the yellow beam illuminated both of their faces, and Courtney's new purple bruise. Mitchell frowned in disgust and Courtney looked away, her heart pounding in fear. He reached forward, towards her. She flinched as his hand scooped under her face and coaxed her forward. She didn't budge, but Mitchell moved closer. He cussed as his thumb stroked over the bruise.

"I'm so stupid," he whispered. Courtney realized he was disgusted of himself, not her.

"I'm so sorry, Courtney. I'm-I can't even…find the right…I'm sorry," he said with hurt ringing his voice. She looked back up at him and they just stared at the other for a moment.

"It's not that bad," Courtney lied.

"Yes it is. There's no use in lying. I'm an idiot. I just…I have to be strong in front of the group or…" Mitch was struggling, and Courtney was trembling.

"They loose respect?" She finished for him. He nodded solemnly and dropped his hand.

"I can't afford that," he muttered.

"You're not going to loose respect," encouraged Courtney, "only friends if you don't stop." She felt guilty for saying it. Itex had turned him into this. This sick monster. But there must be some good in him. Her sister would not have fallen head over heels for a soulless boy.

"You're different than _her_," he looked up at Courtney with a smirk that danced in his eyes.

"Well...yeah," she whispered.

"Your hair curls, your eyes are darker, and you're lighthearted," he explained.

_Oh gosh,_ she thought_, he's going to try to change me!_

"And you think I'm cruel," he finished.

"Yes," she blurted, but quickly tried to cover her mouth. Her eyes widened. He set his jaw and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"I figured." He stood and turned his back to her. She saw his hands lift. She was scared, scared he was making a fist.

"I mean…" her mind was on overdrive as she searched for a way out of this. He spun around, and she was surprised at the lack of fury shining in his steel orbs.

"Can I tell you something?" Mitchell looked down at her. She could only nod.

"If we can take Maximum Ride's bunker over we get the island. The supplies. We can be free from Itex."

"They'll come after us!" Courtney protested.

"I have an agreement," Mitchell shrugged, "As long as I'm doing as told we can live in peace. Prosperity."

"Killing to live?" Courtney voiced the idea aloud. "That's…not right."

"You'll learn Courtney, you'll have to. Like Ranger said, we put ourselves before them. There is no right or wrong anymore. Just my way, or death," he sighed. She pulled her knees to her chest.

"You scare me," she mumbled. Immediately, she scolded herself. Was she going for a beating?!

Mitchell sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Good."

Courtney shuddered and almost cowered from his arm, saying, "The journal says to keep on a straight path for a while. There's a clean water source about thirty miles forward."

"Thanks," he grumbled.

"We should get back to the camp!" Courtney hurried as she jumped up abruptly and started walking. Mitchell got to his feet, too, screaming.

"Watch out!" He snapped. It was to late; Courtney had stepped into a rather wide, and deep, crevice in the rock. She shrieked and fell down. Mitchell yelled her name as he dove for her, slipping down into the canyon too. He knew she couldn't keep herself up long enough. He fell deeper into the crevice than her and locked himself in place. His feet planted against the rocky wall and his back pressing against it. She hit him on her skid down. She tried to spread her wings, resulting in the top layer of feathers to be shaved away in some places. Her arms didn't catch the rock either. They were scraped wrist to elbow, sending a searing sting all over her body. Her boots found small nooks in the wall, but they didn't hold long. She hit into Mitchell at a fast pace, causing him to groan.

"Hold on to me!" He ordered over her cries of frustration. She wrapped her arms around his middle and shut her eyes, breathing heavily.

"What now?" She asked after a minuet of them both remaining stuck.

"Nothing," he said, almost out of breath, "Regain your strength and then you can try to climb."

"My arms and wings," she whimpered.

"Don't fall down anymore holes," he joked and slightly tried to loosen her grips around him. One of her hands went to rest on the wall keeping them stable.

"Ok. I'm ready," she said as she bit her lip, trying to muster up some bravery.

"You're going to stand on me and then try to reach the rocks sticking out up at the top. Think you can do that?" Mitchell tried to laugh. It wasn't working.

"No," Courtney said honestly.

"You're going to kill us both," he warned. She gulped and tried to sit up, but she was shaking to bad and her hands couldn't firmly grasp onto anything.

"Hellooooooo!" A voice echoed from above them. They looked up to see Emma staring down at them.

"Help!" Courtney began to panic again.

"Caiden, we're going to dangle you down by your ankles and you're going to grab them and hoist them back up," Persephone said sarcastically.

"Guys! Seriously here!" Mitchell barked.

"What if we just left them?" Ranger raised an eyebrow as they peered down at the two. Courtney felt Mitchell growl beneath her.

"I can try to find some rope in the packs?" Caiden offered.

"Hurry!" commanded Emma.

Then Mitchell's legs gave out and the pair was sailing down again. This time Courtney saved them by wedging the toe of her boot into a dip in the rock and latching on to a tiny ledge with her left hand. Mitchell was stuck awkwardly with his head facing down and his lower back pressed up against Courtney's

"I've got the rope!" Caiden said triumphantly. One end flew down and whacked Courtney in the face.

"Straighten yourself," Mitch muttered as he went limp and dropped five yards down before he caught himself on the brim of a short ledge. Courtney latched herself to the rope, but her hands were so bloody that she shot down, adding a rope burn to her injuries. Mitchell reached up and stopped her. His hand landed on her thigh and he pushed her up.

"Climb, fool!"

She obeyed and forced herself up the thin rope. She wasn't the best at climbing. She ignored it in training because she thought she'd always be able to open her wings. Big mistake. As she neared the top Emma grabbed her left arm and Ranger pulled on her right. They pulled her up and she thrusted herself to the ground, her stomach hitting first. She was panting and bleeding as she rolled over and got some distance between herself and the crevice. She held her breath as she waited to see if Mitchell had the same rescue.

Soon enough, she saw his head pop up over the edge. Ranger hauled him over and Mitch brushed himself off like nothing happened. He looked at Courtney with a slight scowl.

"How did you find us?" He asked.

"You obviously woke Ranger up with your screams," Persephone picked at her nails as she tried not to snap at her leader.

"You didn't wake me," Ranger shrugged. He looked at Courtney with guileless eyes. Courtney's heart lurched. He had heard them talking!

"Let me have a word with the scout," Mitchell's glare didn't leave her now as the others turned and walked away briskly. She swallowed hard and tried to look at anything other than his face. He was mad; she knew it. His hand wrenched around her shredded arm and he lifted her to her feet. She turned ashen and tried to pull back. He lunged at her and she flinched as his arms wrapped around her. She was waiting for a blow. She didn't get it.

He was _hugging_ her.

"You're okay, right?" His voice was raspy as he clung to her.

"Of coarse," she lied.

"Don't ever walk away from me like that again. Watch where you're going!" He grumbled as he pulled back. She noticed that his eyes were misty. Mitchell…crying?!

Courtney nodded as her eyes grew wide.

"We need to clean you up." Mitchell pulled some first aid materials from his bag and bandaged Courtney's forearms. She hissed in pain each time he would touch it. By the end of it, she had her head resting against his chest as he ace-wrapped her hands.

"The brim of your wings," he started, "I can't put anything on those."

"It's fine," her words slurred as her eyelids grew heavy. She fell asleep reclining on him, something that made Persephone cringe and Emma whisper about.

The next morning the group took off. Courtney had to fly through her pain. Emma's babbling made her turn numb quicker, though. Caiden wasn't the only one suffering. He did keep his distance from Mitch, unlike Courtney. She stuck to him like a lost puppy. Something about him was comforting now. He had to be good if he had saved her, right?

Their next challenge may prove her theory wrong.

They were soaring through a thick daze of fog. The team didn't know what was coming next, but they didn't expect to have to dodge cliffs that rose up from almost pure air! Half of them veered left, and the other three banked right. They were broken apart. Emma, Courtney, and Mitchell were flying blindly through a maze of random earth that had somehow been forced up into the clouds while Persephone, Ranger, and Caiden weaved this way and that through a completely different set of mounds.

"Mitch! We lost them!" Courtney stopped abruptly and hovered.

"You were supposed to know what's coming!" he snarled. "Pathetic, scout. This is pathetic."

"What do we do?" Emma questioned as her eyes tried to peer through the clouds.

"Land?" Courtney tried, glancing down.

"We don't know what could be down there. We could pull up and try to find them from above," Mitchell planned.

"Let's go up and see if we can get above the fog," Emma nodded.

"Stay below me and follow the side of this mountain," Mitchell hurried as he shot straight up, staying only five feet from the cliff his whole way up. Emma and Courtney stayed side by side, syncing wing strokes. Mitchell rocketed from the tip of the mountain. He could now see all that all that was below him was a thick sheet of fog. Emma and Courtney didn't follow far in suit. They stopped on either side of Mitchell.

"They were heading left. Let's go left and dodge the mountains like they would have," Emma tried.

"Move!" Mitch barked as he soared over the mountain and cliff tops like he was playing a game of connect the dots. The three spread out, sweeping over the peaks in a line. Courtney spotted something. She couldn't decipher if it was just a rock formation or one of her fellow members. She dove nonetheless and started to zig-zag left and right through the obstacles. She tried to recall her knowledge on the average speeds these kids liked to coast in. During her calculations she slammed into a sharp cliff jutting from the mountainside. This sent her head over heels for the earth below. She needed to breathe and catch some oxygen. She needed to pull up.

Her wings had folded flat to her back, and at the speed she was hurling to the ground she realized it was going to be hard to force them open from the mass friction she was ripping through the air with. Her best chance of survival was to aim for the multitude of trees. The branches may break her fall. She aimed her body into a straight, pencil shape towards the blur of green leaves below. When she could make out features on the leaves, she pulled herself into the fetal position and shut her eyes tight. She felt herself crash. The sharp points on the limbs tore at her skin as she hit with loud thuds and pops. The sound of a million branches breaking made her panic. Her eyes shot open, but all she could see was her hands out in front of her, hitting and groping with desperation. She was spinning. Courtney let out a pained scream, her throat rubbing raw. The cry was cut short when she slammed into a large branch, hitting on her side. All the air left her lungs. Courtney fell to the ground, limp and unconscious.

* * *

**—**

* * *

_Max's P.O.V._

"MAXINE!" That's _not_ my name. Why does Mr. Borwin _always_ call me that?

"It's Maximum," I replied bitterly.

"Ah, yes, again I am terribly sorry. It just tends to...slip my mind," he shrugged.

"Is there something you wanted?" I reminded.

"Oh! You're homework, Ms. Maxi-"

"-mum," I finished for him as I dug through my binder for my work. I shoved an incomplete assignment into his frail, blue veined hands and watched as he fumbled through his pockets for his glasses. Mr. Borwin slid them over his nose and began reading.

"This," he frowned and waved the paper in the air, "wouldn't have to do with last night's...interruption, would it?"

"I didn't have time after, you know, protecting the city from an intruder," I tried to play it cool and pick at my nails. This probably won't blow over well.

"Peter got his work done," Mr. Borwin observed as he tapped on Fang's desk.

"It's Fang," Fang rolled his eyes.

"Ah, yes, Im-" he started again.

Fang cut him off. "Terribly sorry. Got it."

"Well, nice talking to you!" I smiled as I stood and threw my book bag over my shoulders.

"Nice talking to you, Ms. Maxine," Mr. Borwin waved. My smile grew rigid and my lip curled. _Not my name._

Mr. Borwin reached the grand old age of sixty-five...twenty years ago. Why he's still allowed to teach children, I don't know. He happened to know my mom. She saved him and brought him down here with her. He is getting Alzheimer's. There's nothing anyone can do to stop it. Mr. Borwin still teaches great lessons though, according to Fang. I wouldn't know; I don't pay attention. At least you can squirm out of a homework check without getting in trouble. The old man looses his train of though after ten minuets.

I hurried from the room in a jog. Zachary followed after me. He didn't do his homework either; I already tried to copy. Fang isn't so generous. He doesn't let me "get the easy way out". Whatever.

"Max! Hold up!" Zachary called, lugging a thick textbook under one arm and his notebooks in the other.

"Why don't you just act normal for once and carry a bag?" I sighed, tapping my foot in frustration.

"Because..." here we go again, Zachary is about to go on a rant. "It builds muscle, which I need for Combat Training and for the tryouts. If I'm going to compete against freakish hulks like you, and apparently all the other mutants in this place, I'm going to need it. Ya know? The football team doesn't just pick random nerds."

I stopped him there. "It's not like you're working for a scholarship. Besides, you obviously get a place on the team."

"Why?" Zachary arched and eyebrow at me.

Smirking, I said, "Because you hang out with me."

"That doesn't matter," he sighed in defeat.

"Sure. Coach Draple is picking sixteen people. You all are going to play five on five. Out of all the teenagers in this school you still don't think you have a chance?"

"No."

That was probably true. Unlike the rest of the students, Zachary is one of the few that got the shorter end of the deal on the whole "better humans" crap. His muscle mass isn't as super human as the rest of us. Sure, he has abs. I'll give him that, but put him up against Iggy or Fang and he's dead meat. Seems all he can do is run the power. He's uber smart. I'd call him a nerd if he would actually participate in school. The only classes he cares about is Combat Training, Gym, and Math. If lunch counted, I'd add that too.

By this time Fang and Iggy had caught up. It was no surprise when I found Brittany trotting on behind them. I tried not to glare as the blond haired weasel grinning with her giant, red lips.

"Look who was in a hurry to get out of class," Iggy teased, "Can the great Maximum Ride not pass History?"

"All considering you cant see, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn't look at the reports pinned on the bulletin board. I, my friend, have a strong C-. Top that."

"B!" Iggy stuck his tongue out at me.

"A-," Brittany snipped. I want to deck that no good...

"A+," Fang smirked, "I win."

"What about you, Zach?" Brittany blinked rapidly with her blue eyes in his direction.

"D." He blushed and stared at the ground, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Doesn't that mean you have to go to his study hall thing after school?" Brittany asked, putting on an innocent face.

"Like I'll actually go," Zach chuckled.

"There's just this one thing I don't understand..." She pressed on.

"What?"

She let her lips curl up maliciously. "I thought nerds were supposed to be smart?"

I kept my jaw from dropping. Brittany timed it perfectly, considering the bell rung right after her cruel giggle. Students flooded the halls and she was swept away by another member of her rather rude feline pride. She was a cat hybrid, and like her sisters, she was evil.

"I...gotta go," Zach booked it down the hall before I could even question him. He shoved people out of his way and disappeared in the herd of chattering peers.

"Lunchtime!" sang Iggy as he skipped down the hall.

"Better hurry," Fang shrugged, "trash disposal Iggy will have everything down his windpipe before we even grab a fork."

"Over my dead body!" I roared, racing Fang to the cafeteria. And just like that, all our trouble were whisked away at the aroma of food.

I sat down at our table and slammed my tray down with a great effort. "How dare they limit the cookie intake to one!"

"It's an outrage," mocked Fang. I did this everyday they had chocolate chip cookies. They weren't as good as Mom's, but I could still down a truckload of them.

"Max, sit down," Iggy flicked food at Gazzy off the tip of his spork.

I grumbled and complied, squirting a packet of ketchup on my hamburger. Everyone always had the same lunch, all crammed into one cafeteria. Every grade would come together in a struggle of life known as "lunch". It was a difficult half hour, where you tried not to laugh and choke on french fries when Angel corrected Iggy's grammar or Amber shoved a pretzel in Nudge's ear. Your voice would become strained in the uproar of chantings for people to chug three milks or wolf eight slices of pizza under a minuet. A time when pulling the chair out from under someone was encouraged. A day in age when people would throw cups of jello at Brittany and her crew, and they wouldn't get detention. Thirty minuets where kids could be kids and the fact that Itex could come barging through the front door didn't matter so much anymore.

It ended with Fang clapping a hand down on my shoulder and announcing that we had to go to Math. Great. Just friggin' great. The sounds of feet trudging along the hard floor fell into a solitary eery white noise that showed the dreaded return to class. I came to a rest in the back of the classroom. Zach was no where to be seen. I worried for the first five minuets, tried to pay attention for the next ten, and then slept for about the next thirty, waking up only in time to start my homework.

_1) 9y-18-3y=3y-3y_

How was this ever going to help me in life?

"Y=3."

Fang looked back up at his own work.

"I don't need your help," I snarled quietly.

"Then what's number twelve?" He questioned, glancing back at me. It's a good thing he sits in front of me. I kicked his chair.

_12) y" + 3y' + 2y = (1) / (1+e^x)_

I started scribbling down numbers. This concluded with me ripping up my piece of notebook paper and kicking Fang's chair some more. The idiot.

My other classes passed much the same.

School is boring.

Finally the last class of the day, this was also known as the best class in this tiny building, rolled around. Combat Training, something I could pass with a perfect score. It was basically learning about how to beat the crap outta someone. Zach was still missing, along with my interest. Today, Mrs. Principle Lady marched in and started blabbering about bullying. I yawned through her speech until I happened to glance up and her eyes locked with mine. She nodded to the door and I shot up quickly, raking my stuff into my bag and bolting out of the room. I was met by Mr. Borwin wringing his hands nervously and cramming a folded note in my palm. I was afraid to open it; afraid it was going to say that _they_ had gotten in. I unfolded the crinkled note.

_Max, Dylan is playing in the weaponry along with Zach. Felicia is worrying herself to death. Could you remove your friends from the facility and explain to them the seriousness of playing with dynamite?_

_Thanks, Mom._

_PS: Ignore the flaming couch in the lobby, they got a little out of hand._

Sighing in relief I stomped out of the building and down the road to the city hall. I walked in through the double doors to see a charcoaled couch and a pale Felicia. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder and pressed her lips to a thin line. I hurried to the weaponry to be met by a loud yell. That would be Zach holding up a rocket launcher and Dylan squalling in fear.

"What are you doing?!" I demanded, crossing my arms. They turned to look at me with heads bowed in shame.

"Just...admiring the..." Dylan struggled to find the right words.

"Beautiful array of people killers. And we were just about to leave, right?" Zach talked fast, but he power-walked even faster.

"Whoa!" I held up my hands, "Drop it!" He dropped it alright. Yep, the moron literally threw the rocket launcher to the concrete floor. I yelped and covered my face, surprised when nothing exploded.

"Out!" I barked. They shoved past and I slammed the metallic door to the storage area, locking it.

"You all are stupid..." I began.

"MAX!" Another voice was added to the conversation.

"Mom?"

"I recovered a sheet from the journal!"

What?

"Slow down," I frowned.

"The girl that was here. She...she dropped this!" A piece of yellow edged, lined paper was flailed left and right. I snatched it and read.

"This is a chart..." I glanced up at her.

"A chart recording the population of the mutants stored in Itex's bunker!"

My jaw dropped. No way.

"Let me see!" Zach tore it from my grasp and scanned over it.

"This is bad," he grumbled.

"What? Why?" I tried to read over his shoulder.

"The robot things outnumber us by at least twice our population," he explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I should've paid attention in Math."

"I probably shouldn't have skipped class."

"But..this could all be staged," Dylan suggested.

"So they purposely dropped a chart in the center of our facilities for what reason?" I rolled my eyes.

"I did find it on a park bench," Mom recalled.

"They put it here to scare us. This could be false data for all we know. And the page wasn't torn. It was written on a sheet of pre-cut notebook paper. The girl didn't tear it out..." Zach started nodding, which meant he was deep in thought, "If it was left on a park bench then they put it out there for us to find easily."

"And you were thinking that I was crazy," Dylan grinned and nudged me.

"You did set a couch on fire," I shrugged, "that doesn't change the fact that you're mentally unstable."

Dylan's jaw dropped. "Am not!"

"Are to!"

"Max," Mom sighed and put a finger to her temple.

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"No!"

"What I say goes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Suddenly a shrill cry echoed through the halls. All heads whipped that way. Dylan and Zach practically threw themselves forward to stand in front of me. I didn't need protection. Maximum Ride doesn't need guarding. I bolted, pushing myself out between them. My feet fell in a dull rhythm as I raced to the front lobby.

Another scream.

By now Zach had started running. Dylan was right behind him. Mom's heels joined the beat of our feet pounding against the tiled floors.

I came to a cold stop.

There stood Felecia, on top of her rolling chair. She was staring down at a rather large spider on her desk. She screamed again.

A relieved laugh left my lips.

"It's a tarantula. His name is Venom. Cool name, right? I thought so. I get to bring him home for a day. He eats bugs. Did you know that he's the largest spider in the new world?" Gazzy stood in front of Felecia's desk, admiring the creature.

"Get it out!" Felecia wailed, "OUT! OUT! OUT!"

Iggy snorted. "Show her what it feels like when it crawls up your arm, Gaz."

"Ok!"

"NO!" I hurried to the desk, scooping the spider up in one hand and shaking a finger at Iggy with the other. Then I remembered that he couldn't see gestures. Oh well.

"Go home!" I ordered.

Gazzy took the tarantula back and let it crawl up his own arm. Iggy smiled and said, "Fang wanted me to tell you that Gazzy has basketball practice, me and Zach are supposed to go to tryouts, Angel is spending the afternoon with a friend, and Ella, Nudge, and Amber are using the house for a party."

"When was this party clarified with me?!" Mom snapped.

"I'm just the messenger!" Iggy cowered.

"Iggy take Zach and Gazzy back to the gym," Mom started, "and don't you dare leave him this time!"

"But there were _hot_ girls!" Zach defended.

"That doesn't mean you ditch a nine year old and force him to come home alone!"

"Yes mam."

"And no going out anywhere after tryouts are finished," Mom frowned.

"But..." Zach whined.

"No, Zachary."

He huffed and grabbed Gazzy's shoulder, pulling him out the door. Iggy followed, pouting. Dylan, for whatever reason, trotted along with them. I didn't want to let him go, but I figured he couldn't cause to much trouble in three hours, right?

Felicia crawled down from the chair and fixed her hair. I said a quick goodbye to Mom before flying home. The house was somewhat still. Someone had cleaned. Probably Nudge and Ella for their party. I heard Amber talking upstairs. Great.

There was a bowl of chips sitting on the counter. I snatched them and crammed a few in my mouth, sitting down on the couch.

"Way to leave me alone." A hand shot into the bowl, pulling out some of _my_ chips.

"Had to take care of something," I shrugged, trying to ignore Fang.

"Ready for the party?" he whispered. Fang sat down on the couch beside me.

"We aren't seriously staying!?" I looked over at him, flabbergasted.

"Of coarse not," he gave a smirk.

"Where are you taking us?" I questioned. He hopped up and pulled me with him.

"Wanna find out?"

"Duh."

Then we were running. Where we were running to is beyond me. I tossed the bowl of chips as we headed out the door, laughing. Why couldn't life always be like this?

* * *

**Review?**

**NOTE: This is NOT the sequel to Life, My Battlefield. That comes out in December.**


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